


Third Time's the Charm

by IfMulderCouldSeeMeNow



Series: Bedannibal AUs [2]
Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: F/M, Flirting, Library AU, Slow burn but in a short fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-22
Updated: 2018-08-22
Packaged: 2019-06-30 23:07:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15761589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IfMulderCouldSeeMeNow/pseuds/IfMulderCouldSeeMeNow
Summary: Hannibal notices her first on a crisp Monday morning. A Librarian/Reader AU.





	Third Time's the Charm

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Caissa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caissa/gifts).



> Based on a prompt kindly sent by @kmo

Hannibal notices her first on a crisp Monday morning. Students drag through the old library, wiping sleep from their eyes. Their hair is mussed, and he’s sure one has their t-shirt on inside out. She stands out for the fact that she looks as if she’s been awake for hours or centuries. Her clothes are pristine, and she walks with confidence. Her heels make muffled sounds on the thin carpet, but she is unbothered. What he really notices, however, is her hair. It is radiant.

He pushes the cart to the next isle to watch her under the presumption of doing work. She slides the book she has apparently come to find from the shelf with ease and is gone in a moment, but not before looking back at him over her shoulder, a grin tugging at her lips.

The second time he sees her, it’s a Thursday and she’s checking out old medical journals, ones even graduate students could rarely remove from the library. Faculty, then? She’s wearing a deep purple dress that stops right in the middle of her calf, and her hair is curled at the ends. Wire-framed glasses are perched on her nose as she reviews the items one last time. One of the books he’s loading onto the metal cart misses its place in his distraction and clunks heavily to the floor. Her eye catches his and she winks before turning her back and leaving.

The next time he sees her on a rainy Wednesday, nearly two weeks later. Today she’s opted for black thick-heeled Chelsea rainboots, and her outfit is more casual. Petite dark wash skinny jeans and a black button-up blouse. Her thick, long blonde hair is tied back delicately with a red ribbon. She wears no rain coat, but carries a practical stick umbrella, which she easily slides into one of the plastic umbrella bags at the entryway. She lingers on the mat for a moment, inspecting herself for drippings before proceeding through the large building.

This time, she is slower and less sure about the section or item she has come to acquire. He sees her lick her lower lip before moving to the fiction. Yes, the library was designed for University, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t offer students and the community leisure.

Hannibal quickly swipes two fiction novels from the returns cart and heads her way. When he finds her, she’s perusing the isle, glancing up and down, clearly intent on judging a book by its cover. He slides the first book into its place on the shelf absently, chancing another look at her.

“Are you following me?” she asks playfully, fingering the spine of a sappy romance novel. Her profile is regal, and there is a tiny beauty mark right above her lip. His face flushes.

“N-” he begins to disagree, before he sees her eyebrow raise and realizes she will easily catch him in the lie. “Yes,” he deflates. She seems unperturbed by his admission, perhaps already knowing the answer before she asked the question. A gentle hum emits from her throat as she finally picks a novel.  

“My sister suggests I should read more popular fiction,” she fills in the silence, reading over the back of the cover. Her eyes squint slightly, and she slides the book back into its place.

“You should read what you enjoy,” he says gently, his voice smooth. 

She turns to him then, and he can finally see the full effect of her eyes up close. They are blue and alert; intelligent and mischievous. A small smile pulls at her lips. He has apparently passed muster. She reaches out to shake his hand.

“I’m Bedelia.” He takes her hand and shakes it firmly. He has a feeling she wouldn’t approve of the  _lady_ handshake he had been taught as a child, but rarely used, considering it archaic.

“Hannibal,” he says confidently, deciding to finally play his hand. “Would it be too forward of me to ask you out for coffee?”

“That depends,” she begins, and he can hear the impish taunt in her voice. “Will I have to flirt with you for another month for you to speak with me again.”

They both laugh softly for a moment before she seamlessly slides her business card into his palm. Bedelia slips past him easily, lifting the remaining novel from his hand, their fingers brushing. Hannibal feels electricity surge through his body. As she walks to the checkout counter with the book, he looks at the card held between his forefinger and thumb and finally tries her name on his lips.

_Bedelia Du Maurier, M.D._

He thinks he might be in love.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! If you have a prompt you'd like filled, please message me on tumblr @ShadeQueenScully :)


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